New Canaan couple donates $20 million for Norwalk Hospital expansion
NORWALK — Carol Bauer described Norwalk Hospital as “the
health care monument on the hill,” and with a $20 million donation from her and
her husband George, the facility is about to see a monumental expansion.
The New Canaan couple’s contribution will help Norwalk
Hospital construct and renovate the new
188,000-square-foot Patient Pavilion, the largest expansion project in the
hospital’s history. The project is the centerpiece of “Building Our Future.
Together. The Campaign for Norwalk Hospital,” a $250 million investment over
the next five years by Nuvance Health for the Norwalk Hospital community.
“It positions us well for the future. It’s such a great
reflection of the Bauers’ longstanding commitment to the community,” Dr. John
Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance Health, said Wednesday at an event to
announce the donation. “I also think it will serve as a catalyst to a lot of
other donors in the community to come forward and commit to the hospital’s
bright future.”
Carol Bauer echoed his sentiments, also seeing Wednesday’s
announcement as a kick-off for the community to take part in the campaign.
The new patient pavilion will feature 60 single-bed private
rooms, a new labor and delivery unit, a 17-bed postpartum unit and a new
newborn intensive care unit (NICU), a state-of-the-art intensive care unit
(ICU) and step-down unit, and the latest medical equipment and technology,
according to Nuvance Health.
The campaign will also support renovations through the
hospital and its outpatient facilities, and a deeper investment in staffing and
community-based health care programs, according to Nuvance Health.
George Bauer noted that some of the buildings date back to
the 1920s and “really are in bad need of repair.”
“It’s oftentimes better to replace than repair and that’s
what we’re doing,” Bauer said of the hospital’s initiative to re-balance its
inpatient and outpatient services across the facility.
In past years, the Bauers helped to establish the Jeffrey
Peter Bauer Newborn Intensive Care Unit in memory of their infant son, the
Bauer Emergency Care Center, and the Carol Bauer Nursing Scholarship.
Carol Bauer also served on the hospital’s Board of Trustees
for 19 years and was the first woman elected as board chair. She has
volunteered at the hospital for over 40 years and is a certified chaplain.
George Bauer serves on the Board of Directors for the hospital and both have
served on the Norwalk Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
“We are forever grateful to Carol and George Bauer, who have
dedicated their lives to serving others. They continuously take action to
ensure their neighbors have access to the best possible health and wellness
services,” Peter R. Cordeau, president of Norwalk Hospital, said in a
statement.
The Bauers’ gift will directly benefit the hospital
departments of cardiovascular, cancer, emergency medicine, surgery and women’s
health services, according to Cordeau.
“We are incredibly honored by the Bauers’ incredible
investment in health care for this community. We’re only able to make this
expansion a reality through the generosity of our community, and their
leadership gift will set the stage for others to follow. They’re not only
incredibly generous philanthropists, they truly believe in this community,”
said Grace Linhard, chief development officer of Nuvance Health.
Other community members committed to supporting the Bauer
Family Patient Pavilion project through philanthropy and leadership include
Nancy and Eugene Beard, Len DiNardo and family, Christian J. and Eva Trefz, and
Gregory D. Smith, who is the campaign co-chair with George Bauer.
Stamford, Norwalk gain big in ‘earth-shattering’ change to how CT refunds new school buildings
STAMFORD — Stamford and Norwalk elected officials have long
demanded greater state funding for school projects without much luck, so it’s
not surprising they were floored when they heard the state changed the rules
and gave them a huge
bump in school project reimbursement rates.
“The fact that this has happened is unbelievable,” said
Stamford Superintendent Tamu Lucero during a news conference outside Westhill
High School Wednesday afternoon.
Lucero was surrounded by a large congregation of elected
officials from both Norwalk and Stamford, almost all of whom said the increase
in state funding would be a huge boon for the area.
While the most commonly used word was “transformative,”
Richard Freedman, chairman of the Stamford Board of Finance, used another word:
“earth-shattering.”
Representatives spent much of the event — called to formally
announce the change — patting each other on the back for the work. But the
people most commonly mentioned as the two leading the brigade in Hartford were
State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and State Sen. Patricia Billie Miller,
D-Stamford.
Through their advocacy, they were able to convince Senate
President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, to include three provisions
into a budgetary bill that was passed by the General Assembly and signed into
law by Gov. Ned Lamont this week, the officials said.
Two of the provisions target specific projects in both
Norwalk and Stamford, granting an 80 percent state reimbursement rate for new
buildings.
But the one that got much of the praise was a change to the
state’s base construction reimbursement rate that now includes the size of the
district in calculating how much money the state will reimburse a district for
upgrading and building its schools.
Under the new rules, the state’s reimbursement rate for new
school construction in both Stamford and Norwalk will be 60 percent for the
next 25 years, much higher than the 20 percent rate in Stamford and the 23
percent in Norwalk currently in place.
State funding for construction projects is
based on a formula tied to a municipality’s wealth. In essence, the
poorest municipalities in Connecticut get the highest reimbursement rates while
wealthier communities receive a smaller reimbursement percentage.
The new framework will provide much more funding for
Stamford’s ambitious
master plan to build or expand four schools, including a potential new K-8
school in south Stamford, and make improvements to many others. The estimated
cost to implement the full plan is more than $500 million over 12
years.
In Norwalk, where no new school has been built in 50 years,
the story is about the same. Officials there are working on a 25-year school
facilities plan that would cost about $500 million as well.
In a separate section of the bill, the reimbursement rate for
a new Westhill High School was set at 80 percent. The cost of construction is
estimated at $258 million, according to figures from the state’s Department of
Administrative Services. At the 80 percent rate, Stamford would receive a
contribution of roughly $206 million.
That’s a far cry from the 20
percent rate the state had agreed to pay late last year, which would
have covered $51.6 million of the work.
The current 50-year-old Westhill High School has had a
variety of problems, including water damage from leaky roofs, windows, doorways
and the exterior. The plan is to build a new school on the same site and then
demolish the existing building once the new one is complete.
Multiple schools in Stamford have dealt with mold issues in
the past four years, with one school — Westover Magnet Elementary School
— even
shuttering for two years.
“Can you imagine coming to school every day and there’s
mold, things are falling apart,” Miller said. “Now these students are going to
be able to go to a good, healthy school.”
The last of the three items is an increase in funding for
Norwalk High School, which was approved for 80 percent funding in 2020, but the
cost of the project has since grown. State officials agreed to pay an increased
amount to account for the growing price tag for the school.
After the news conference, Looney said the reason state
legislators were able to approve the higher reimbursement rates for Norwalk and
Stamford was due to the state’s current financial situation.
“The obstacles in the past were the huge deficits we were
experiencing in the last 14 years or so,” he said. “We were in
cutting-and-scaling-back mode rather than advancing. We recognized the need for
some time, but we were finally able to meet it this year.”
He described this year’s state budget as a chance to “catch
up” to the postponed spending.
“It’s a matter of equity here for both Stamford and Norwalk
and we needed to get this done because these schools are so critical for the
future of the state,” he said.
According to Miller, the idea to ask for a 60 percent
reimbursement rate for both cities was the brainchild of Duff.
“I think Westhill is probably about in the same condition as
our high school is, which is tired and old and really in need of a new facility
and this is going to be so great for so many students over the years,” Duff
said.
Among cities with a population of at least 80,000, Norwalk
and Stamford’s reimbursement rate is well below that of other municipalities.
Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford and Waterbury have rates that range from 67 to
70 percent. Danbury has a rate of 53 percent for new construction.
“No community, especially urban communities in this state,
can build new schools or renovate schools as new with a reimbursement rate that
is so low,” Duff said.
He later added, “This will impact generations of students
and give them the schools that they deserve and taxpayers will save hundreds of
millions of dollars in each community and they will see their property values
rise at the same time.”
Lucero spoke briefly during the event and at one point
turned to Duff.
“Senator Duff, I don’t know you, but I love you,” she said.
City finalizing property acquisition for South Norwalk school
NORWALK — The new South Norwalk neighborhood school could
have its permanent home secured as soon as next month.
The city is finalizing terms with the property owner, who
has requested the location be kept confidential until the sale is complete,
according to Alan Lo, Norwalk Facilities and Building Manager. Lo anticipates
the city will bring the final contracts for Common Council review and approval
next month.
“I think early June, I would be requesting a special
meeting,” he told the Land Use and Building Management committee last week.
The property was submitted to the state and “reviewed with
no outstanding comments,” according to Dan Phillips, the project manager with
Construction Solutions Group. Phillips said the first phase of an environmental
study has been completed and a second phase study is underway.
Lo also plans to ask the Board of Estimation and Taxation
for a special appropriation of $4 million for the project, which would
appropriate the remainder of the $76 million the city recaptured from closing
out two previous school construction projects in January.
The property was submitted to the state and “reviewed with
no outstanding comments,” according to Dan Phillips, the project manager with
Construction Solutions Group. Phillips said the first phase of an environmental
study has been completed and a second phase study is underway.
Lo also plans to ask the Board of Estimation and Taxation
for a special appropriation of $4 million for the project, which would
appropriate the remainder of the $76 million the city recaptured from closing out
two previous school construction projects in January.
The city is assembling the necessary documentation to submit
a grant application to the state for the project by June 30. If approved, the
state would reimburse the project at a rate of 22 percent or $16 million.
Lo told the Common Council in January that he expected the
project to be completed in three years from June 30. He anticipated the school
to open in time for the 2025-26 school year.
Norwalk Public Schools and the city are still working
to find
a way to fund the South Norwalk school incubation at the existing CMS
building starting in the fall. The incubation process would allow the district
to start building the grade levels one at a time before they move into their
new school building.
The district needs $1.8 million to fund the incubation. The
costs would provide for a principal, two pre-K teachers, four kindergarten
teachers, three paraeductors and 10 other staff positions at a full or
part-time bases. The funding would also cover the cost of bus service,
utilities and other necessary supplies and equipment.
State proposes removing Route 10 bridge over Route 322 in Southington
Jesse Buchanan
SOUTHINGTON — State officials are finalizing plans to
remove a nearly century-old bridge carrying Route 10 over Route 322, replacing
it with a regular intersection and traffic light.
The change is part of a larger state Department of
Transportation project that will reconfigure the Route 10, Route 322 and Old
Turnpike Road area. State officials hope to begin construction next year and
have a virtual public information session scheduled for Monday.
Among the biggest changes is the removal of Norton Street, which
DOT project manager Jeffrey Pfaffinger described as a “defacto on and off ramp
for Route 10.” With an at-grade intersection replacing the bridge, Pfaffinger
said there would no longer be a need for Norton Street.
Bridges carrying Route 10 and Route 322 over the Tenmile
River will be replaced under the plan. The y-shaped intersection of Route 10
and Old Turnpike Road will be reconfigured so that Old Turnpike Road will be a
distinct right-hand turn. The $11 million project will also add sidewalks
and widen the Old Turnpike Road and Route 322 intersection to allow better
turning.
Long in the making
State leaders have wanted to reconfigure the
complicated Route 10 and Route 322 intersection since at least 2008, according
to Town Manager Mark Sciota.
Pfaffinger expects the design to be complete by July.
Construction could begin in the fall of 2023.
Work removing the bridge, widening intersections and
removing Norton Street will mean detours for a few weeks.
Town Council members were concerned about the impact on area
residents and businesses.
“We have a car wash there, we have a restaurant there, other
smaller business in that area,” said Victoria Triano, Town Council chairwoman.
Pfaffinger said construction won’t keep people from being
able to reach homes or businesses.
“Access will be maintained throughout construction for all
businesses and residents. It may be a little bumpy at times, but the contractor
will be required to maintain access at all times,” he said.
Concerns about traffic
Jack Perry, a Town Council member, was concerned about
replacing the Route 10 overpass with an intersection and a traffic light. He’s
worried traffic could back up around the new traffic light and cause
problems on Route 10 and Meriden Waterbury Turnpike.
“I don’t know if that’s going to be in the best interest of
our community,” Perry said. “My concern is everything bottle-necking.”
He mentioned the 140-unit Stone Bridge Crossing development
approved last year just south of the town line in Cheshire.
“We know that’s going to be an increase to traffic,” Perry
said. “Route 322 is (also) going to have more growth over time.”
Pfaffinger said the state’s plan eliminates Norton Street
and its intersection with Route 10. The two traffic lights at Route 10 and Old
Turnpike Road will be synchronized to prevent back-ups, he said.
“Every traffic analysis we’ve done has shown it’s going to
work out well,” Pfaffinger said.
Other council members were in favor of the plan.
“That’s a big area that really needs to be done,” said
Councilor Val DePaolo.
Paul Chaplinsky also supported work in the area.
“I think we all know that that intersection has been
notorious over the years for accidents,” he said.
Public information session
State leaders sent letters to area businesses and residents
notifying them of the March 16 information session.
A link to that session and more information on the project
can be found at https://portal.ct.gov/DOTSouthington131-190.
Legislation would allow Millstone to expand
A bill passed in this spring's legislative session
would exempt Millstone Power Station from a state nuclear power facility construction
moratorium.
The bill is meant to allow the state’s existing nuclear
power facilities — Millstone — to expand to other nuclear technologies on-site,
but not to build a third full-scale reactor.
As Dominion Energy New England Policy Director Mary Nuara
wrote in public testimony on the bill, “Dominion Energy supports the state’s
efforts to explore all options available, including advanced nuclear
technologies like small modular reactors, to achieve its long-term
decarbonization goals.”
Nuara said there are no immediate plans by Dominion to add a
small modular reactors to the Millstone site, as the commercial
viability of the technology is "many years away." But Dominion
supports the new bill.
"(Dominion) supports Connecticut taking this first
step to allow exploration of all forms of clean energy generation to see how
they could contribute to the state’s clean energy economy, today and in the
future,” Nuara added.
The bill was supported on a bipartisan basis in both the
state House and Senate. Senate Bill 10, also passed this past legislative
session, requires the state to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from
electricity supplied to Connecticut customers by 2040.
“That doesn’t happen without nuclear,” state Rep. Holly
Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, a co-sponsor of the bill, said. “Renewables are all
fine, but they’re never going to be a reliable source of base load power. The
price of battery storage and other kind of storage is still so high that it
becomes economically unviable, particularly if you’re looking at ratepayer
impact.”
Cheeseman said she and other legislators, as well as
Millstone, see “incredible potential" in the small nuclear reactors.
“They’re called small modular reactors, and they’re
basically what powers small nuclear submarines,” Cheeseman said. “It’s not a
huge plant. It’s much less waste. It has a much less elaborate cooling system.
… These are seen as a way of adding to our base load power without the expense
of building traditional nuclear reactors like Millstone 1 and Millstone 2.”
State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, the Senate chair of
the Energy & Technology Committee, described the logic behind the bill.
“We want to keep Millstone alive, and we need to meet all of
our clean energy goals,” Needleman said.
Legislators were originally going to nix the moratorium
entirely, but Needleman said legislators compromised to restrict the bill only
to the Millstone site.
"It’s not a blank check to Dominion to build anywhere,”
he said.
Cheeseman, Needleman and state Sen. Paul Formica, R-East
Lyme, noted that there is federal movement on designating a nuclear waste
repository. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, 2nd District, told state legislators
as much during consideration of the bill.
“We got a letter from Congressman Courtney to say there’s
some money to study the issue of a national repository for nuclear waste,"
Formica said. "We felt that finally the federal delegation is stepping up.
Waterford First Selectman Rob Brule has sent letters of concern about having
nuclear waste in Waterford, and I share that concern and hope we can move it
out of there, but for the time being, look what’s happening to the costs of
fuel and power.”
The federal government had originally committed to taking
possession of nuclear waste from facilities like Millstone but later reneged,
meaning Millstone stores its used fuel on site.
In addition to spent fuel pools, Millstone has dry storage
in metal canisters encased in concrete, which can be stored for decades.
On Wednesday, Courtney said there are federal efforts to find
a national repository underway, with $20 million allocated in the federal
budget both last year and this year for a Request for Information process where
the federal government seeks localities that would welcome such a repository.
Courtney said the budget for 2023 contains $53 million to that effect.
“The comment period for the RFI closed out early March, and
that was for communities to respond to the RFI in terms of interest in this
program,” Courtney said. “We’ve heard from the Department of Energy that 225
responses came in. Again, they’re not an actual bid on the program, but it’s a
request for information, they want to learn more, which is good. That shows
that people put their hands up and at least want to find out more.”
Courtney said the plan is for the DOE to issue a report
this year describing the RFI response.
"There’s going to be additional funding, and I think
bigger funding, in the 2023 budget once we finish that, which is months and
months away," Courtney said.
Kevin Hennessy, a senior policy director and spokesperson at
Dominion Energy, said this week that the company’s position in the public
testimony submitted months ago remains the same: there are no plans in the
near term to build for more nuclear power in the form of small modular
reactors.
“We’re excited about the prospect, so as a company we’re
engaged with some of the folks involved in that technology,” Hennessy said.
“We’re bullish on the future, so while we don’t have any current plans right
now, the possibility of the future is always appealing.”
Dominion views Millstone as “the clean energy hub of New
England, and we’d like to build that out," Hennessy said.
“Right now, it’s conventional nuclear, but the sky’s the
limit essentially when you think about solar, wind, hydrogen, small modular
reactors, all of those would be zero-carbon and add to Millstone’s value,”
Hennessy said.
Cheeseman also noted that the company is looking to offer
more power in other New England states and could need to expand for that
reason as well.
Hennessy confirmed that if Millstone decides to build and
there is still no federal site for nuclear waste designated, it would have
to continue to store the spent fuel on site, whether that be large-scale or
small-scale modular units.
Gov. Ned Lamont's office said he was reviewing the bill and
did not indicate whether he was leaning for or against signing it into
law.
Developer plans supermarket, 41 duplex units off Shelton’s River Road
SHELTON — River Road could soon be home to a development
that would include more than three dozen duplex units, a supermarket and a
medical office building.
Developers 740 River Road, LLC recently received approval
from the Inland Wetlands Commission for its plans to redevelop land at 740
River Road, presently home to three structures that would be demolished to make
way for the new project.
Attorney Dominick Thomas, who represents the developer, said
an application seeking to turn the 10-acre site — which sits next to the
long-vacant Autoswage Products, Inc., — into a Planned Development District
(PDD).
The plans call for construction of 41 duplex units overlooking
the Housatonic River. Facing River Road would be two structures — a
three-story, 30,000-square-foot building listed on the plans as a medical
office building and a 13,500-square-foot building marked as supermarket.
The property would include 420 parking spaces — two for each
of the duplex units, with the remainder for the two structures.